Hampton firefighters rescue man fishing on rocks

Wednesday

Aug 13, 2014 at 9:26 PMAug 13, 2014 at 9:27 PM

HAMPTON — Hampton firefighters successfully rescued a man who got caught in “extremely strong” currents early Tuesday morning while he was fishing atop rocks in the water off Sun Valley Beach, according to fire officials.

Kyle Stucker

HAMPTON — Hampton firefighters successfully rescued a man who got caught in “extremely strong” currents early Tuesday morning while he was fishing atop rocks in the water off Sun Valley Beach, according to fire officials.

Despite the fact that activities like swimming and fishing at night makes individuals essentially “invisible” in the ocean and the fact that the current “was so strong it store the swim fins off” rescue swimmer and Firefighter Seth Butler's feet, Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Ayotte said the rescue was a resounding success.

“Obviously, the (water rescue) training is paying off,” said Ayotte, adding that individuals should “absolutely not” enter the water after nightfall because “it's extremely easy to lose somebody.”

Ayotte said the rescue of the 34-year-old man could've gone much differently given the time of night and other conditions surrounding the initial call to 911, which came in around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The call indicated a person was in distress in the water and located on or around the rocks across from Woodstock Street. A number of houses are situated just off the sand and water in that area, unlike nearby Hampton Beach.

Ayotte said he didn't have details about how the call came in, whether it be due to the fact that the man was able to alert a nearby resident to his location, or by other means.Ayotte said the man, a local fisherman, “knew the area” and walked out to the rocks during low tide. The man later told firefighters he stayed on the rocks when the tide came in because he felt it would be unsafe to try to make the “challenging” swim back to shore, according to Ayotte.

Butler and Firefighter Sean Murray were deployed as rescue swimmers as Firefighter Matt Cray operated the rescue boat, which was captained by Lt. Sean Gannon that night.Butler was tethered to the boat as he swam out to the rocks to rescue the man. The subsequent loss of his fins forced him to adjust his technique due to the dramatic loss in propulsion, although Ayotte said the firefighters were able to get the man and themselves into the boat and back to shore without incident or injury to any individuals.

Ayotte said it's difficult to keep a rescue boat in one location and next to a rocky area in strong currents, and he and Gannon commended Cray's “excellent job” to maintain control.

“There was a potential for great danger there,” said Ayotte.

The man and rescue crews were out of the water and safely on the shore with other Hampton firefighters and police officers by 1:16 a.m. Tuesday, according to Ayotte.The man reportedly refused medical treatment and had no visible injuries.

Tuesday's rescue came just mere hours after 10 members of the department were awarded letters of merit at Town Hall for heroism they displayed during a July 2013 water rescue.

Ayotte said Tuesday's rescue was also the eighth in the last 14 months by the Hampton Fire Department, which was assisted Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard.The department hasn't had any fire rescues during that time.

Ayotte urged the public to take more caution when swimming in the ocean. He also recommended all individuals avoid activities in the ocean at night and avoid entering dangerous water conditions.

“At midnight it's never a good idea to enter the ocean, alone especially,” said Ayotte.

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